Love is the ultimate risk
by Platonic1
Summary: It is Christmas eve and Hermione and Harry have a heart to heart conversation. They justified their love as friendship, but it never felt enough. Would you risk lifetime of friendship for one chance at love?


The gentle snow floated weightlessly downward from the pure white sky above. Each flake swirled and danced with the icy wind. The street looked like an unfinished painting, covered in white.

It was Christmas Eve and Harry was back at Godric's Hollow. Unbothered by snow and cold, he stood motionless by his parent's grave. He recalled all the events from the first time he boarded the Hogwarts Express till his eventual victory. His faces mirror the emotions of the memory that played in his head. He smiled, laughed and cried, all in a matter of a few minutes.

'_It is funny how memories don't change, but the lens through which we see them changes over time.'_ He thought. His many memories of Hermione were one of the sources of joy, however, now those same memories came with some unidentified pain.

He stood there lost in his thoughts, detached from the world around.

Eventually, he noticed that the snow fell all around him, but none on him. He looked up with curiosity and found an umbrella over his head. He turned around and was surprised to see her.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Even before she could answer, he asked, "Wait, how long have you been here?"

"Long enough for my hands to go numb in this cold," she replied jokingly.

"You should have said something when you got here."

"You looked deep in thought so I didn't want to bother you," she said with a smile.

"So, what brings you here?"

"You." She handed the umbrella to him as she was tired of holding it. "Exactly one year ago we were here, together. I knew I would find you here."

"You always know where to find me."

"I wish I didn't, though," she said with a sigh.

"Why is that?"

"Because I," she stopped mid-sentence. "Because…"

"What's wrong, Hermione?" He asked with concern.

"God, this is so much harder than I visualized in my head," she said shaking her head.

She took a couple of steps back from Harry. She just stood there with eyes closed, face towards the sky, taking deep breaths. Without the shelter of umbrella, gentle snowflakes rushed to kiss her face. Her bangs from either side of her beanie hat cupped her face perfectly. The snowflakes lodge into the strands of her hair.

"I promised myself that I'll do it, so here it goes," she psyched herself. She pulled out a small vial from her pocket and brought it close to her mouth.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Truth potion," she replied after taking a few drops. "Look, I don't want anything to change between us – wait, no, I do want things to change between us, that is why I am doing all this. But if you don't want things to change between us then we will not change anything between us. We will use obliviate to erase this memory. Agreed?"

"Hermione, you are not making any sense," he projected his confusion.

"Harry, look at this ground. What color is it?"

"White."

"Actually, the ground is lush green, but because of snow, all we see is white. In time, the snow will melt and reveal what's truly beneath it. I've learned that time is a great teacher. After our victory, with nothing trying to kill me, I had a lot of time on my hand. And once the snow on my heart melted over time, I found you in it."

"I guess what I am trying to say is that I love you, Harry. I have been in love with you for a very long time."

"Hermione," he was stunned to hear her truth potion induced confession.

"It's okay, Harry. You don't have to say anything. I know you like Ginny. I didn't want to say anything because I know that my confession can jeopardize our friendship and make everything awkward. But I promised myself that I will tell you the truth, at least once for the sake of my own sanity. If things didn't work out, then I will wipe both of our memories. At least, that was my plan."

"Hermione, why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Sometimes logical people have the biggest blind spot, and you are my blind spot. How can I tell you something when I did not fully understand how I felt for you? Perhaps I did, but I was too scared to admit it. I justified my love for you as friendship, but it never felt enough. I buried this love under layers of logic and convinced myself that this was a bad idea."

"Why?"

"Because of fear of failure. What if you don't like me that way? What if it ruins our friendship? What if it ruins my friendship with Ginny? What if I am not good enough?"

"Not good enough? You are THE Hermione Granger: the brightest mind in whole Hogwarts, fiercely loyal, and ridiculously good-looking. Any guy would be lucky to have you, including me." He confessed.

"What?"

"Hermione, love cannot be easily defined in words or understood by logic. Love is known by its characteristics. Who makes me feel alive just by being in their presence? Who makes me feel that no amount of time is enough with them? Who has seen me at my worst and still stood by me? Who is willing to catch me when I am falling? Who am I willing to trade my happiness for their sorrows? Who am I willing to make any sacrifice necessary for their happiness? Who does my heart beat for?"

"The answer to all these questions is you." He continued. "To me, my parents are the symbol of true love. I came here to ask for the courage to tell you the truth today. And in case I ran out of courage, I had a little help." He pulled out a vial similar to Hermione's.

"Oh, Harry," she said, getting teary-eyed.

"I never told you this because I did not want to risk our friendship. If you did not have the same feelings for me then I risk losing you from my life. I told my heart that I'd rather have Hermione in my life as a friend than losing her entirely as a lover." He explained.

"Hermione, I love you more than anyone else in this world."

She hugged him as if her life depended on it. "I love you too Harry."

He let go of the umbrella and hugged her tightly. They stood there in an embrace as years of repressed emotions washed over them.

The bells in the nearby church started chiming, drawing their attention.

"Merry Christmas, Harry."

"Merry Christmas, Hermione."

* * *

**Author's notes:** This is my first Harry potter story. I hope I got it right.

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the story. Thanks :)


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